Airbus in France

France is home to four Airbus manufacturing sites, along with three final assembly lines and the company's headquarters. The manufacturing sites form the Centres of Excellence for aircraft nose sections, centre fuselages and engine pylons and nacelles.

Nearly 11,500 people are employed at sites in Toulouse, where the final assembly of all Airbus aircraft takes place except for the A318, A319 and A321 (which is performed in Germany). A new final assembly line has been built especially for the A380. One of the largest construction jobs of its kind in the world, it is named after the late Jean-Luc Lagardère, who was co-chairman of Airbus' main shareholder, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS).

Final assembly of Airbus aircraft includes joining the forward, centre and aft fuselage sections, mating the wings to the fuselage, which is followed by the installation of the horizontal tail plane, fin, engine pylons, landing gear and engines. Integration of the systems in the cockpit, plus system tests, also are carried out, including avionics, electrical, hydraulic, flight control, air conditioning, fuel tank pressurization and landing gear.

Cabin furnishing for the widebody A330/A340 is carried out in Toulouse prior to final delivery. At the Saint-Eloi area of Toulouse, engine pylons are manufactured, while at Blagnac, electrical assemblies are built, along with the repair, modification and preparation of spares for in-service aircraft. As part of the Airbus Centre for Excellence for aircraft cabin and cargo customisation, Toulouse is responsible for the customer definition of cabins, design and painting. A mock-up centre is included in the resources at Toulouse.

Toulouse activities also include flight and ground testing of aircraft, as well as research, design and development. One of the three major Airbus training centres also is based at Toulouse.

Nearly 4,500 people are employed at Airbus' central entity in Toulouse, situated close to Toulouse-Blagnac International Airport. The company's customer services department is based at the central entity, as are Airbus’ President & CEO and the Executive Committee members - each of whom are responsible for core functions within Airbus. In addition, the headquarters is home to key Airbus departments, such as finance, design, marketing, engineering, customer relations, operations, programmes, centres of excellence, procurement and communications.

The Airbus facility in Saint-Nazaire - located on the French Atlantic coast - is set on two production sites covering 50 hectares, with a workforce of some 2,300 people. It specialises in the assembly, equipping and testing of the forward sections of the A320 family, and the forward and centre sections of the widebody, A330/A340 families and the 525-seat A380. Fuselage sections delivered from Saint-Nazaire are equipped with system and structural parts (hydraulic, metallic and thermoplastic subassemblies) manufactured in the plant's production units. The development of innovative technologies like thermoplastics and laser beam welding has led to significant reduction of production costs. Fuselage sections produced at Saint-Nazaire are transported by air inside the Airbus A300-600ST Beluga either to Hamburg or Toulouse for final assembly, or by sea in the case of the A380 - utilising a specially-built ferry called "Ville de Bordeaux."

Nantes, which produces the centre wing box - the structural heart of the aircraft - for all Airbus aircraft, has developed expertise in the use of composite materials. The A380's centre wing box is 50 per cent made from carbon fibre reinforced plastic, a first in the industry. Nantes, which employs around 2,000 people, also produces the composite keel beam for the A340-500/600, the nacelle air inlets for the A340-500/600 and the A380, and all Airbus radomes.

The site at Méaulte, near Paris, is responsible for assembling the nose sections of all Airbus aircraft, which include the cockpit. This section centralises all the aircraft’s control systems, and its assembly requires an absolute mastery of the machining and assembly of complex parts in different materials, including light alloys and titanium. To ensure perfect sealing and the best aerodynamics, Méaulte has developed an ultra-precise method of spatial positioning using laser beam measurement. Méaulte, which employs nearly 1,200 people, also manufactures light alloy mechanical parts, such as cockpit window frames and cargo door lock fittings.






Airbus, an EADS Company, is a leading aircraft manufacturer with the most modern and comprehensive product line. Comments to Webmaster. Conception: Fullsix. © Airbus S.A.S. 2008. All rights reserved.